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Mama Pads

When I hear cloth pads I think old rags or something gross like that. Mama pads, however, are pretty much like colourful disposable pads but you wash them. Couldn’t be simpler. Simple savvy talks about how much it costs a woman over her lifetime to buy disposable pads. Crazy how much a woman spends on sanitary pads and these all get thrown away. I guess some people would find mama pads super gross but I have no issue with it (once I got used to the idea).

My mama pads of choice are bamboo ones from my favourite store Ecomoon. I used them after John was born and found them lovely and soft (especially on my stitches). I wanted to wait to write about mama pads until I had used them for a normal cycle. So I thought it was time to write my thoughts down.

As I said I found them lovely and soft and so easy to use. They have a snap on the end of the wings so snap together easily and thus stay in place. The pads are brightly coloured so you can’t really see anything gross. I found I had to change these a little more regularly than disposable pads but the Ultimate Night/ Postpartum would last me a night.

I found being out and about was easy as you just snap the used pad into its self and pop it into a little mama cloth bag to be chucked in the wash when I got home. When I’m at home I have an ice cream container that I put my used pads in with cold water then I just throw the whole lot in the wash with John’s cloth nappies. No mess or fuss.

My mama pad stash

(I find this will get me through 2 maybe 3 days comfortably (though I generally wash everyday):

4 x Ultimate Night/ Postpartum

3 x long heavy

5 x heavy

4 x medium

4 x light

One thing I found that put me off the mama pads was the start up cost it seemed like a lot of money to fork out at once. So after reading simple savvy’s total cost of what a woman spends I bit the bullet and bought the minimum I would need and then added to my stash whenever Ecomoon had a sale. I’ve found it’s great not to have to run out to the store to buy pads every month and what’s a little extra washing? Mostly though of course, I love the fact that I’m creating less waste going into the land fill.Oh and saving loads of money!!!

If you don’t like pads there are some other options such as the Menstrual cups but that doesn’t really interest me. What do you use? Are you willing to give mama pads or a cup a try? Go on you wont regret it.

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9 thoughts on “Mama Pads”

Love this! I’ve been using Ecomoon Cloth Pads for a couple of years now too and I actually never, ever want to use disposable again! My sisters look at me like I’ve gone too far and lost the plot, but if anyone is feeling apprehensive about it, I totally recommend just buying one or two to try. It feels like luxury Thanks so much for sharing this post with us all!!

Good on you. I’m so with you I love my mama pads. I got caught out once at a friend’s place and was so horrified that I had to go out and buy pads plus there were so many to choose from it was all so overwhelming and gross all that plastic on my bits. Eww. I agree everyone shoudl try a bamboo pad you’ll never go back to plastic! Mx

I’ve had a Diva (size 2) since 2006 and it’s still rocking along brilliantly. I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me I have to empty it maybe 3 times in a 24 hour period (hehe) in the first couple of days, and less often after that.

Once my period is over, I just wash it out with soap, then boil it to clean it, and put it away in its little zippy pouch I have until next cycle.

It’s far more reliable than any other option I’ve tried – and I’ve tried everything, I reckon.

I would never go back to disposables – with tampons I was changing every 2-3 hours, what a pain in the…well, yeah, you know! And I just find pads – cloth as well – icky.

I think I paid about $50 for my cup, and was wary about spending that sort of money when I did, but it has paid for itself many times over, and has saved me heaps of $$$. (Yeeks, I’m sounding like a cup salesperson, I swear I’m not, I just think they’re brilliant).

I don’t think it matters which brand you get, but I’ve been happy with the Diva. I hear the others are just as good, as long as they’re silicone-based, and not latex, which can cause allergies.

Wow, thanks for using me as a resource! I was also wary about the startup costs, so I made mine with new fabric — although I know someone who used her old flannel pajama pants.

I’ve tried a menstrual cup and it didn’t work out too well for me. I think it depends on your comfort level. For some people, a cup is more gross than a pad, you know? Can you use a cup after childbirth?

You cannot use a cup (or tampons) for postpartum bleeding, but you can use one when regular periods return after giving birth. I had a Keeper before pregnancy and was still able to use it after, but it didn’t fit as well as it had, so I bought a Diva Cup in the postpartum size, and it works better than the Keeper ever did! No need for backup liner or anything.

Welcome

Hello, I'm Madeleine and welcome to NZ Ecochick. I'm so grateful that you stopped by to read my blog. I live in Wellington, New Zealand with my wonderful husband and I'm a very proud stay at home mama to two beautiful boys.

NZ Ecochick is about my family and our journey to living a (semi) self sufficient life on our backyard homestead. We live on a quarter acerish section, with our chooks and quails, and grow a lot of our own food. NZ Ecochick is about the greenest options and frugal living, diy, crafting, repurposing, organizing, and our life in general.

I'm currently studying hard to be a holistic nutritionist. So currently my mind is full of biochemistry and molecular biology so watch this exciting space!!! Welcome along for the ride!